The use of catheters for the treatment of urinary incontinence is well known. These devices are both bladder retained, as for instance the commonly used Foley type, and penially retained, as for instance U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,768,102 to Kwan-Gett; 4,457,299 to Christopher; and 4,457,299 to Cornwell.
These patents and other patent disclosures of the type are discussed in the above-identified parent application, the disclosure of which parent application is incorporated herein by reference.
These known devices are not fully satisfactory. Some of the problems encountered are:
the device, especially the bladder-retained type, may provide a direct rail for bacteria to access the bladder;
irritation and damage of the mucosae and underlying tissue;
device functionality relies upon sphincter muscle capability; and
device requires especially trained or sophisticated handling.